


Kit Among the Thorns

by Oakwyrm



Category: Thrilling Intent (Web Series)
Genre: Fox kit, Gen, the forest approves of Ashe, the kit is hurt but nothing too bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 15:27:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7468980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oakwyrm/pseuds/Oakwyrm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashe hadn't intended on basically adopting a tiny fox. But what was she supposed to do? Just let it die?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kit Among the Thorns

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [recent events](http://the-nine-shrines-bar.tumblr.com/post/147286850613/thog-and-ashe-have-been-arguing-for-the-past) because I had to. I mean come on I had to.

Ashe was tired. It had been a long day and she felt like she was going to crash any second. The forest around her was dark, another testament to just how late it was. She did, however, take comfort in the fact that her tree was not too far away. She passed by a thorny bush only to stop and turn around, walking quickly back to it.

She tried to peer into the darkness but it was too deep for her to really see if she had heard what she thought she had heard. She pressed her hand over her eyes and shuddered as she felt them change but when she opened her eyes again she found she had been right. In the bush lay a fox kit. It was bloody and torn from the thorns and every now and then it opened its mouth to release a little whining sound. Ashe looked around carefully for any sign of a mother but it was more a fool's hope than anything. It was obvious that this little kit had to have been abandoned.

Carefully she reached into the bush, wincing as the thorns cut her arms. Gently she moved aside the branches to free the little fox and lifted him out. He shook in her arms, probably afraid of her, she reasoned. She was a large, unfamiliar animal and the kit was hurt, of course he would be afraid.

As gently as she could she sent a bolt of her power to the kit. He scrambled frantically for a second, trying to bite at her arm to make her let go, only to calm down a second later. With his wounds closed he began to assess her.

Apparently she passed the test because he relaxed and let her hold him. She noticed then how thin he was and wondered how long he must have been stuck in that bush. She was struck suddenly with a powerful urge to protect this tiny creature. Obviously he was too young to survive on his own just yet and he was severely malnourished. With her decision made she got to her feet again and carried the tiny kit to her tree with her, where he could rest in a warm, protected place for the night.

As he curled up to sleep in a corner of the hollowed out tree she took the time to clean and dress the wounds on her arms. They weren't bad, at least not many of them, but the thorns of the bush had broken her skin in several places and while she didn't want to waste her power on something so trivial she didn't want to risk infection either. Once she was satisfied that she was set for the night she curled up in her bed and let herself drift off, listening to the calming sounds of the forest at night.

The forest, however, was far from calm. It had many eyes and many ears and word spreads quickly. Somewhere in the back of their minds they had been aware of the strange creature that lived separate from her pack. The one who made her nest in the large hollow tree. Word spread from the smallest animal up through the woods until there was no bat, finch, frog, wolf, snake or bear that didn't know she existed.

Yes the forest was aware of the one with the glowing eyes but for the most part they ignored her. She fit so seamlessly into their world they almost forgot she existed. She never seemed out of place, dangerous yes, she was large and smelled of power. But she had done nothing to either harm or help anyone and most of the animals had begun to think her pattern would never vary.

But now, now the forest was alive with rumour and speculation. The tall one with the glowing eyes had saved a fox kit from death. Why had she done that? She was already an anomaly to the animals of the forest. Not like the spirits but not entirely like the other strange mammals that made up her pack, either. And then of course there was the one that smelled of rotten eggs but he was a different story entirely.

Now the first thing on everyone's mind was what was she going to do? Was the kit hers now? Or would she just care for it until it was strong again and then leave it to fend for itself. So it was that when Ashe woke up the next morning and stepped out of her tree she was greeted by a lot of scuttling in the bushes as curious onlookers hurried to hide themselves.

The fox kit walked unsteadily behind her as she made her way towards the best place she had found for berries. The small field of various berry bushes stretched out in front of them and the kit looked eager to dig in. She looked down at him thoughtfully as she wondered what exactly she should do.

She could, hypothetically, teach him how to survive on his own. Adopt the role his mother should have held. But realistically speaking she'd need to be away from the island way too much for that to be a viable solution. She sighed as she crouched, watching carefully as the kit picked his way through the berries. He was too young to be on his own just yet. If she was right in her guess he was probably three, maybe three and a half months old. That left four months until he'd be able to survive on his own.

She shook her head, deciding that for now she would watch over him. At least until he'd managed to put on some much needed weight. Then she wasn't entirely sure. She doubted he knew how to hunt but that was at the moment a problem for the future.

As she calmly continued to watch her new charge as he played the watchful eyes of the forest seemed to come to a consensus. That the kit was definitely under the pale not-quite-spirit's care, and the not-quite-spirit was powerful, yes, but compassionate as well.


End file.
